


Times Long Passed

by SingingInTheRaiin



Category: Black Sails
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fluff, Gen, James is a painter, M/M, Modern AU, Nightmares, Thomas is a politician, because I said so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 01:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21978715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SingingInTheRaiin/pseuds/SingingInTheRaiin
Summary: James is plagued by dreams of strange things that all look like they belong long in the past, and it scares him to see dreams of himself as a violent man.
Relationships: Captain Flint | James McGraw/Thomas Hamilton
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51
Collections: Black Sails Gift Exchange 2019





	Times Long Passed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [joxersfool](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=joxersfool).



_James’ voice had never sounded so cold as when he looked down at the cowering man in front of him, and drew his weapon. This was the man who had ruined everything, who had taken Thomas from him, who had-_

“James, wake up!” There was a gentle shake of his shoulders, and then James opened his eyes as he let out a little gasp. He sat up abruptly, but didn’t try to brush aside the hand that reached up to gently rub at his back. He reached up to run a hand through his sweaty hair, and then turned to look at Thomas, who was lying slightly propped up next to him. “Want to talk about it?”

James shook his head, and then slowly slid back down. He stared up at the ceiling of their small home, and then turned his head to the side to get a better look at Thomas. He didn’t think that he would ever get tired of seeing his beloved, and he could only hope that Thomas knew that without James having to say the words. “Sorry for waking you,” he grumbled. 

Thomas shrugged. “It’s no big deal. Besides, where’s the fun in sleeping when I’ve got such a gorgeous man in bed with me?”

James scoffed, though he couldn’t stop one corner of his mouth from sliding up just the smallest bit, betraying his amusement at the question. Although he still found it ridiculous whenever Thomas complimented his looks, he’d learned that Thomas got upset when James tried to argue, so he just took them as funny little comments instead. “Let’s just go back to sleep.” The two of them shifted around under the blankets until they were comfortable, and James did his best to set aside the strange dream. It was only the latest in a long line of confusing dreams of a different life, a different time. 

By the time James woke up in the morning, he’d already forgotten the details of his dream, and had very little trouble going about with his day. That’s how it usually went. 

James lost track of time as he painted, trying to finish at least one more piece before the exhibition that was coming up in just a couple more days. He didn’t realize how late it was until he was slightly startled by the sound of Thomas clearing his throat, and then James looked up from his work in surprise. “Five already?”

Thomas laughed, and there was a fond look on his face that always succeeded in twisting James’ stomach in knots. “Half seven. I didn’t want to disturb you when you were in the middle of something, but I wouldn’t feel right having dinner without forcing you to have some too. I bet you haven’t eaten all day.”

James grumbled out some protest, but now that he focused on it, he could feel the hollowness in his belly that confirmed Thomas’ words, and he quickly cleaned up to join Thomas at the table. “How was work?”

“Oh, the same as always. Yet another day of wondering what on Earth I was thinking to go into politics.” 

James laughed. “You can’t say that you weren’t warned.” It wasn’t as though James had any experience in being a politician, having been set on becoming an artist for as long as he could remember, but he had certainly been vocal about his opinions on politicians over the years. 

Thomas rolled his eyes, but did not look bothered by the statement if the fondness in his smile was anything to go by. “And how was work for you? You seemed to be on a role.”

“It’s nothing special,” James grumbled. The painting that he was most proud of was already at the gallery with his other pieces, and it was a surprise that Thomas wouldn’t see until the opening night. The one he’d been working on all day was worthless in comparison. 

They finished eating dinner while Thomas talked about a day in the life of a politician, and then they cleaned up and headed to bed. Maybe they were too young to be tucking in so early, but both of them were too tired to do much else, and they both needed to be well rested to get started on work tomorrow as well.

Once they had both changed into their pajamas and gotten into bed, James turned off the bedside lamp and then wrapped himself around Thomas, needing to feel the closeness between them. Then he closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep, perfectly safe and comfortable.  
,,,

James jolted awake after having yet another one of those bizarre dreams. This time it had starred Miranda, Thomas’ ex-wife and the best friend of both men, as well as James’ agent. Only, in the dream she was dressed in the same old-fashioned clothes as everyone else in his strong of weird dreams, and she had died. He was relieved to see that he hadn’t woken up Thomas this time, and resolved to talk about it in the morning. 

He wasn’t able to get back to sleep, though, so instead James extricated himself from the bed, and went to make himself a cup of coffee and then work on his latest painting. If he wasn’t going to be able to do anything other than lie around with his eyes closed, he might as well get something productive done.

Not being able to sleep wasn’t the same as not being tired, though, and James was startled to suddenly realize that the direction he’d been going in for his painting had completely shifted. What had previously been the start of a bright sunny beach now showed an old looking ship crashed on the sand and spilling out gold like it was blood. Well, it was a bit more abstract than his usual work, but James could still tell what he’d made.

On a whim, James pulled out his phone and dialed Miranda’s number, which was one of the few that he’d ever bothered to memorize. Despite the time, she answered almost immediately, and sounded like she had more than enough energy to deal with whatever problem James might have. “I’m going to assume that this isn’t a three am crisis about which order your works are going to be displayed in?”

James shook his head even though he knew Miranda wouldn’t be able to see it. “No, it’s…” he trailed off, unsure of what exactly the problem was. He just knew that the sound of her voice was enough to send a massive wave of relief through him. “I had a dream- a nightmare, really- and you were killed in it.”

“Please don’t tell me that you think you can predict the future now.”

James snorted. “I doubt it. You were dressed like a pilgrim or something. I know that it wasn’t real, but I just needed to hear you for myself.”

Miranda sighed, but she didn’t sound upset about being woken up in the middle of the night. “I’m perfectly fine. I can assure you that I am far too tough to die on you right now. Hang on, I just need to do something real quick. I’ll call you back.” She hung up abruptly, and James reached up to run a paint-smeared hand through his hair.

A minute later, Thomas shuffled into the room, blinking rapidly and squinting at the brightness of the well-lit space. It looked absolutely adorable, and James felt something warm shift through his chest. “Did Miranda wake you up just now?”

Thomas shrugged one shoulder as he moved to drape himself over James’ back. “Would you be angry with her if she did?”

“I’d be a bit of a hypocrite if I was, considering that I woke her up first. I just didn’t want to disturb you. You look so peaceful when you’re sleeping, you know.”

Thomas laughed quietly as he looked at the newest additions to James’ painting. Then he sighed and he sounded serious when he spoke, though James couldn’t see his face because it was pressed against the top of James’ head. “You know that I’m here for you and you can talk to me about anything, right? Even if you think it’s just a few silly dreams, I’ll listen.”

For a moment, James considered just brushing the offer aside the way he had been for the past few weeks. But then he thought about how good it felt to tell Miranda even a tiny bit, and decided that it was time to share. “They’re a bit long and complicated,” he warned.

James’ back felt cold when Thomas pulled away so that he could sit down in a seat and face James properly. “Good thing I’ve got about four hours until I need to get ready for work, then.”

James rolled his eyes at the ridiculous man. “Fine. But don’t blame me if you fall asleep in the middle of an important meeting.” When Thomas still didn’t move to go back to sleep, James slumped back in his own chair. “So these dreams started with you and me and Miranda living in an old fancy house together…” And he spent the rest of the night telling Thomas about all the things he’d seen, and even about the terrible things he’d envisioned himself doing. Thomas said nothing the entire time, and when James was done and felt exhausted, Thomas simply got up and pulled him into a tight hug. They embraced for what felt like hours before finally returning to bed together, and they held hands as they fell asleep. And for the first time in a while, James was not woken up by any strange dreams.   
,,,

It was such a pain to make his way around the entire gallery, but James knew that Miranda would kill him if he didn’t at least try to act social. He wanted to believe that people would buy his paintings because they liked the work, but he wasn’t naive enough to think that his public persona had nothing to do with his sales. So he put on a charming grin and talked the money out of the wallets of nearly everyone he spoke with.

Thomas showed up a little bit late because he needed to deal with an important issue at his office first, but when he did arrive, it was a welcome relief to James. Since Thomas was present, it was finally time to reveal the piece that James was most proud of. 

He waited until Miranda distracted Thomas by pulling him into a conversation about something or other, and then James went to stand by the painting that had been covered since the beginning of the evening. He cleared his throat loudly, and then started talking, and soon everyone was looking over at him. “Good evening ladies and gentleman. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m James McGraw, and the works you’ve been looking at all night are mine. There is one piece in particular that I would like to show off, now. It’s my crowning achievement, and I can only hope that it gets across all of my feelings. I call it ‘Inspiration’ because I would never have gotten this far in life without this man standing beside me.” With that, he pulled the sheet down, revealing the large portrait of Thomas. 

It was based off of a candid photo James had gotten when Miranda had taken it during a picnic with all three of them. It showed Thomas with his head thrown back, clearly laughing, and there were crinkles around his eyes. His hair was being blown by the slight breeze, and he was breath-taking to behold. In the original picture, James had been next to Thomas, but in the painting the only figure was Thomas himself.

James made his way through the crowd to reach Thomas, and Miranda quickly left to give the two of them a minute alone. There was a faint sheen in Thomas’ eyes that meant he was trying not to try, and he tugged James into a long kiss. Neither of them cared that anyone in the gallery could turn around and see them like that. 

When they finally pulled apart, both of them gasping for breath, Thomas gave James one of his stunningly beautiful grins. “You are utterly ridiculous, and I every time I think that I couldn’t possibly fall more in love with you, you prove me wrong.”

James knew that his cheeks had to be red, but he didn’t care. “I’ve got a question that I’ve wanted to ask you for a while now, but I’ll wait until we get home. It’s not the kind of question that needs to be a public display.”

Thomas reached out to take one of James’ hands and give it a gentle squeeze. “Enjoy your big night. And as for this mysterious question that you plan on asking- I can assure you that my answer will be yes.” 

Then the two of them went around to talk to potential buyers and look at the art, and they stuck close together. Even Miranda didn’t bother to scold them for it, and James was pretty sure that he was happier than he’d ever been in his life.


End file.
